Teacher Faces Allegations of Assaulting 8-Year-Old Student with Autism

A teacher in Florida is under scrutiny after allegedly “forcefully slamming” an autistic 8-year-old student to the ground, despite the child’s lack of aggression toward her.

Nikol Marie Rodriguez, aged 29, has been charged with one count of child abuse without causing great bodily harm. The incident, detailed in a probable cause affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime, reportedly took place on March 3 at Peace Christian Academy located in Hialeah.

Rodriguez has been supervising the child at the academy since the start of the 2024 school year. Although the student can follow basic instructions, he struggles with verbalizing his needs, according to law enforcement. Surveillance footage, obtained by police through a subpoena, captured the event.

The complaint outlines that Rodriguez was in the classroom with the victim and two other children. The student, who was sitting on the floor but not facing the correct way, was abruptly turned around by Rodriguez in what authorities described as an “aggressive manner.” Shortly after, the child moved to a bean bag chair and sat quietly.

“Although the CCTV footage didn’t include audio, it was evident that the victim was not exhibiting any threatening behavior,” the authorities noted. “He was merely sitting in place.”

Rodriguez went behind the boy and allegedly pulled his hands behind his back. The boy tried to escape the teacher”s grasp and appeared to be “in agony,” cops said. Rodriguez began struggling with the victim and was allegedly “seen forcefully slamming the victim’s upper body and head onto the classroom floor.”

She also “forcefully pressed” the boy into a supine position as he was kicking his legs, cops wrote. The defendant then allegedly pinned the student’s arm to the ground with her leg. Eventually, Rodriguez let the victim go but allegedly shoved him into the table when he tried to get up.

The boy’s mother noticed injuries when she was giving him a bath. He allegedly had a small puncture wound on his right bicep as well as “finger bruise marks” on his left arm and scratches on his chest.

An internal report by the school which cops obtained said Rodriguez was using “supportive de-escalation procedures” because of the boy’s “escalating behavior,” according to the complaint.

Rodriguez’s attorney struck the same tone at her bond hearing.

“It is a child that was acting out, and she was in the process of restraining [the child],” he said, according to local ABC affiliate WPLG.

Cops arrested Rodriguez on Thursday and took her to jail, where she has since posted a $5,000 bond. Her next court date is not yet listed.